5 Things to Know: CMS Principals Receive Instructional for Dealing with ICE in Schools

CMS Principals Receive ICE Instructional

Principals of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools are being offered an instructional webinar on how to respond if agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attempt to enter their school in the coming year, an issue that’s become a concern among increasingly aggressive raids under the second Trump administration.

Presented by the district’s Office of General Counsel, the instructional informs principals about whether school officials are required to comply with ICE depending on what type of documentation agents bring to a given school, what areas of a school ICE agents are allowed into without a warrant or subpoena, and what to do following a visit from ICE, according to slides acquired by WSOC’s Joe Bruno.

The slides clarify that ICE agents are always allowed in public areas such as school lobbies, waiting areas and parking lots, though they need a warrant or subpoena in order to arrest anyone or enter a private area such as a classroom or gym. One slide suggests principals mark such areas with “Private” signs before the start of the school year.

The nonmandatory training is being offered in the wake of a school year that saw reports of ICE attempting to enter multiple elementary schools in Los Angeles, where they were turned away by administration staff.

In Charlotte, multiple actions near schools last spring sparked outrage among residents in east Charlotte and elsewhere.

Local Orgs, Officials Respond to Cut in Public Broadcasting Funding

US Congress this week approved a Trump administration plan to rescind $9 billion in previously approved funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting. The $1.1 billion in cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR, PBS and their member stations, is already being felt in Charlotte.

Local NPR affiliate WFAE announced on Friday that it would be laying off six staff members due to the federal funding cuts and overall “difficult revenue environment.”

“One challenge of an immediate rescission is that it strips away two years of pre-approved funding without giving stations like WFAE sufficient time to replace those dollars,” said WFAE President and CEO Ju-Don Marshall, in a statement.

“That said, the loss of federal funding is just one of the financial pressures facing WFAE and public media stations,” Marshall continued. “We are also seeing a decline in philanthropy, which has been a lifeline for communities across the Carolinas that are still recovering from natural disasters. That is only exacerbated by the increased demand funders face because of the broader federal cuts to nonprofits providing direct support and services to our community.”

In a statement on Friday morning, US Rep. Alma Adams, who voted against the cuts along with most of her fellow Democrats, blasted her Republican colleagues for the “reckless” cuts, pointing out the importance of public broadcasting for emergency communications.

“Local public broadcasting was a lifeline to my state during Hurricane Helene,” Adams wrote. “When power, internet and cell service failed, thousands of North Carolinians received lifesaving updates from public radio including emergency resource information, road closures, and live briefings from county officials.

“Without their work, more people would have needlessly lost their lives from this disaster,” she continued. “Republicans’ decision to defund public broadcasting today only serves to abandon communities facing natural disasters in the future, especially rural Americans, and they should be ashamed.”

Based in Davidson College, WDAV Classical Public Radio produces nearly 150 hours a week of original broadcasting locally while also producing nationally distributed programs such as Concierto, NoteWorthy, and Reel Music. The station on Friday said it will lose $250,000 due to the cuts, about 11% of its annual funding.

“Regardless of financial means or ability, public media such as WDAV brings the arts within reach of everyone in our surrounding communities,” wrote WDAV General Manager Frank Dominguez in a statement. “If we’re to continue serving all who rely on us at the level they deserve, we have no option but to replace the lost revenue. No decisions have been made yet about what we would need to cut if we fall short, but let me be candid: Anything we lose would be felt deeply.”

Races Form as Filing Period Ends for Local Elections

The filing deadline for local elections arrived at noon on Friday, giving a look at who will be challenging whom for seats on Charlotte City Council and the CMS Board of Education.

There are currently four Democratic challengers to Mayor Vi Lyles on the mayoral ticket, plus Republican Terrie D. Donovan and Libertarian Rob Yates. Aspiring mayoral candidate Samir Hamid, who aimed to file on Thursday, did not meet the criteria to file as a Democrat as he has not been affiliated with the party for the 90-day minimum. He is currently planning an independent run for the general election.

In the Democratic primary, Lyles will be challenged by local community activist Jaraun “Gemini” Boyd, repeated candidate Tigress Sydney Acute McDaniel, Delter K. Guin III, and Brendan K. Maginnis, who lost in the Democratic primary for US House NC District 14 in 2024.

In the only race guaranteed to produce a new district rep on Charlotte City Council, Krista Bokhari has filed to replace her husband Tariq Bokhari in District 6. She’ll face Sary Chakra in the Republican primary, with the winner of that race going up against Democrat Kimberly Owens, a local attorney for 30+ years, in November.

In District 3, where current rep Tiawana Brown is under federal indictment for alleged PPP loan fraud, three Democratic challengers filed. Montravias King, is an environmental activist while Joi Mayo is co-founder of Transforming Nations Ford, a grassroots community coalition that advocates for the Nations Ford/Arrowood roads corridor.

The third Democratic challenger in District 3, Warren Turner, saw his previous council tenure come to an end after an investigation unveiled allegations from at least six women who claimed he had made sexually inappropriate comments to them dating back to the 1980s.

Stay tuned for Queen City Nerve’s full Election Guide on Aug. 20 for in-depth looks at these races and more. Early voting for local primaries begins on Aug. 21. 

Shooting Outside Nightclub Raises Concerns About Uptown Safety

Police responded to a shooting call at Encore Nightclub around 2 a.m. on Sunday and found 37-year-old Arleigh Bryant, who worked at the club, dead from a gunshot wound. Medic transported three other gunshot victims to the hospital while two others self-transported. All victims who were hospitalized are believed to have suffered non-life-threatening wounds.

Later that day, Encore released a statement confirming that one of their staff members had been killed in the incident and emphasized that the shooting was “a senseless act of gun violence” that occurred outside of the establishment and did not stem from any incident that occurred in the club.

On Monday, police made two arrests connected to the shooting. They first arrested a 25-year-old man in Gastonia and charged him with possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of a stolen firearm while police then arrested a 24-year-old suspect in Charlotte, charging him with possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of a stolen firearm, and felony flee to elude.

Then on Thursday, a 16-year-old juvenile suspect was taken into custody in Statesville and charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder, which implies that the murder was planned rather than the result of an impromptu altercation.

During a press conference presenting the mid-year crime report on Thursday, CMPD officials stated that they are increasing police presence throughout Uptown.

On Friday, one of Encore’s neighbors, Club Love, released a statement informing patrons that CMPD would begin securing the alley connecting East 7th and East 6th streets next to the two businesses where people sometimes congregate.

Daimler Truck Announces Layoffs

A truck manufacturing plant in Mount Holly is set to lay off nearly 600 employees in September. Daimler Truck notified the state in a letter that 573 workers would be temporarily laid off beginning July 18. The workers will continue to be paid regular wages through Sept. 9.

The letter said the layoffs are a result of “a sustained reduction in orders and diminished build rate.” While the layoffs are expected to be temporary, their lengths are currently unknown.